Tie-plate.



E. LAAS & H. H. SPONENBURG.

TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1913. 1,Q96,3()8 Patented May 12, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

WITNESSES:

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A TTORNE Y5.

E. LAASK; H. H. SPONENBURG. TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1913.

1,096,308, Patented May 12, 1914.

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WITNESSES: f/VVENTORS.

A TTORNE V3 COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH C0 WASHINGTON, D. c.

' E. LAAS & H. H. SPONBNBURG.

TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION II-LED MAR. 10, 1913.

1,096,308 Patented May12,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES.-

B j M 27753623 UNITED STATES PATENT @FF EDWARD LAAS, OF SHAWNEE, OKLAHOMA, AND HIRAM H. SPONENBURG, OF GURN EE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO LAAS & SPONENBURGCQ, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TIE-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1914.

Application filed March 10, 19-13. Serial no. 753,263.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD LAAS and IIIRAM H. SPONENBURG, citizens of the United States, residing at Shawnee, in the county of Pot-tawatomie and State of Oklahoma, and Gurnee, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tie-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to tie plates for railroad rails, and has for one of its primary objects to provide a tie plate furnished with means for preventing the tendency of the rail to tilt Or be displaced laterally in either direction under the pressures and stresses eX- erted by the wheels of the cars, or for other causes; and, furthermore, to provide a device of this character which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and can be readily applied to the rail.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a tie plate which can be used in a location in the track which necessitates the periodical shimming up of the rail, which plate will securely hold the rail from spreading when thus shimmed up. As is well known, the rails of certain portions of a railroad track have to be raised from the ties, or shimmed up, during the winter months due to the lack of uniformity in heaving 0f the road-bed, certain parts of the road-bed being more affected by the frost than other parts. The shimming up of a rail from the ties results in making the attachment of the rails to the ties less secure. A rail gets a certain set in the tie and even in the metal tie plate, which in itself affords considerable security. Moreover, by using tie plates or rail braces, the tendency of the rails to spread can be checked. \Vhena rail is shimmed up the ordinary brace is unavailable as no sufficient foundation is provided for it and, the ordinary tie plates being provided with ribs on their under surfaces to keep them from displacement on the tie, these devices are also unavailable when the rail is shimmed up because the plates will cut into and split the comparatively thin wooden shims. Where a rail is shimmed up from the tie and its spread unchecked by a tie plate or rail brace, the inevitable insecurity of its position is enhanced by the fact that the spikes standing up farther from the tie are more easily bent back; and this is true even where a longer spike is used.

Our lnvention provides a tie plate which is peculiarly adapted for use with a rail which, during certain has to be shimmed up.

The device, besides securely holding the rail from lateral displacement, provides a means for supporting the parts of the spikes projecting beyond the tie.

The invention is illustrated, in certain preferred embodiments, in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a railroad rail and supporting tie with a tie plate constructed in accordance with our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and t are perspective views of the two interlocking elements composing the tie plate. Fig.

5 is aperspective view of a modified form of device. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a slight modification of the structure illustrated in the first four figures. Fig. 7 is a view, in perspective, of another modification. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the blank from which one of the elements of the device shown in Fig. 7 is made, the dotted lines showing this element of the device in its completed form. Fig. 9 is a plan view of another modification. Fig. 10, a sectional view taken on line 1010 of Fig. 9, and Fig. 11, a view, in perspective, of the tie plate shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to i inclusive, A designates a T section railroad rail of the ordinary sort, and B one of the ties on which it is supported. The tie plate, in this form of the invention, consists of two plates C and D which are adapted to intervene between the base E of the rail and the tie B and are provided at opposite ends with spike holes F for the spikes G. The plates G and D are formed at opposite sides of the rail with jaws H and I respectively, which en-- gage opposite edges of the rail base, these jaws being formed, in the construction shown, by simply bending over the edges of the plates. In order to equally divide the stresses put upon the two spikes G, the plates G and D are interlocked one with portions of the year,

another, this engagement being preferably a dovetailed one, one of the plates 0, for ex ample, being formed with a dovetailed projcction J which fits into a similarly formed opening K in the adjacent transverse edge of the plate D. By this arangement whatever be the stress on the rail it is transmitted to both spikes.

in slight modification of the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive is suggested in Fig. (3. In this form of plate the jaws H, 1, instead of bearing on the upper surfaces of the rail base E, stand a trifle above such surfaces so that while checking any tendency the rail mav have to be displaced laterally or to tilt more than a very small amount, the rail is, nevertheless, free to move or vibrate on the plate. In other words, with this construction the tie plate becomes effectively a part of the tie and not a part of the rail.

The plate shown in Fig. 5 is substantially the same as previously described except that instead of turning over the edges of the plates to provide the rail engaging jaws the plates, designated in this construction, C D are formed within their outer longitudinal edges with jaws H 1 and each with a pair of spike holes F at opposite sides of the plates, the plates being preferably formed with projections f adjacent the spike holes upon which the heads of the spikes bear; the purpose of this being to facilitate the removal of the spikes.

The device illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 is the same as that shown in the first four fig ures of the drawings, with the addition of a rail bracing feature. The jaw of one of the plates, for example, the jaw H of the plate C is formed with the projection L which is preferably given a half twist, as shown, so that the edge thereof bears against the vertical web M of the rail.

The device, in any of the forms above described, can be readily applied to a rail by lifting the rail a trifle from the tie and inserting the two elements of the device from opposite sides. lVhen the rail is in position the two elements are securely interlocked one with the other so that there is an even distribution of the strains on the spikes whatever may be the character of the pressures exerted on the rail.

In Figs. 9 to 11 inclusive, a simplified form of the eevice is shown. Each of the tie plate elements 0*, D is provided with a projection N which fits into a corresponding notch in the other element. The principal advantage of this form of device is that it does not require the rail to be raised quite so high, in the application of the device to the rail, as is the case when the parts of the plate are provided with a dovetail engagement. As a. matter of fact the two elements C", D can be driven or slipped under the base of the rail by raising the latter just a trifle from the tie. lVhile the interlock provided by the two projections N is perhaps not quite as secure as the dovetail engage ment, it, nevertheless, results in dividing any side thrust of the rail between the two spikes.

Fig. 10 particularly illustrates an advantage in the use of our device when applied to a rail which is shimmed up. designates shims intervening between the tie and the plate. The tie plate, being flat on the bottom, can be used when the rail is shimmed up in this manner. The spikes are supported at the level of the rail base by the metal back of the spike holes F While we have shown and described our invention in certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that further modifications might be made without departure from the invention.

We claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising two plates, the opposite edges of which are bent over to foun jaws adapted to engage opposite edges of the base of the rail to which said device is applied, and

formed with saike holes, said alates bein interlocked at their adjacent transverse edges with a dovetailed engagement.

2. A device of the character described comprising two plates which have a clovetailed interlocking engagement along adjacent transverse edges, one of the longitudinal edges of one of said plates being bent over to form a jaw which engages one edge of the base of the rail to which said device is applied, the opposite longitudinal edge of the other plate being bent so as to form a jaw engaging the opposite edge of said rail base and having a projection, the extremity of which is bent at right angles to said last mentioned jaw and bears against the vertical web of said rail.

A device of the character described comprising two plates formed on opposite sides with jaws adapted to engage opposite edges of the rail base to which the device is applied, and formed with spike holes, said plates being interlocked at their adjacent edges with a dove-tailed engagement.

EDWARD LAAS. HIRAM H. SPONENBURG.

lVi tnesses L. A. FALKENBERG, G. Y. SKINNn-R.

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

